Book digitized by Google and uploaded to the Internet Archive by user tpb.

xi, 387 pages, 32 unnumbered pages of plates : 21 cm

An insider's view of court life and culture during the Renaissance, The Book of the Courtier is the handiwork of a diplomat who was called upon to resolve the differences in a war of etiquette among the Italian nobility. Set in 1507, when Castiglione was an attache to the Duke of Urbino, the book consists of a series of fictional conversations between members of the Duke's retinue, who discuss the virtues and conduct of the ideal courtier. Translated into many languages after its 1528 publication, it became the ultimate resource on aristocratic manners, offering sixteenth-century readers a manual on how to behave. Today, it remains the most definitive account of life among the Renaissance nobility

Includes bibliographical references and index

Translator's notes -- List of illustrations -- The first book -- The second book -- The third book -- The fourth book -- Notes

plus-circle Add Review

comment

Reviews